Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kasey Smith. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Kasey, appreciate you joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I truly started my journey into building a boudoir photography business about 5 years ago. I stumbled into a photography group on Facebook that made me realize that I actually used to kinda shoot boudoir without realizing what it was during some hard times in my life. I was very shy and very scared to share my work, so it took me a while to come out of my shell, and be fearless. I pushed myself to attend a few workshops and meet other boudoir photogs in person, and it all took off from there. If I could go back in time, I would decide to grab the metaphorical bull by the horns and just do the thing, you know? Life is to damn short to not be doing what you love, and I would push the shyness aside and of been more of a force in the industry early on.

Skills-wise, posing, understanding composition, and the lighting in my environment are crucial to my photography. All of these go hand in hand when making a beautiful image for your client. As a boudoir photographer, you not only have to elicit emotional expression, you pretty much have to pose someone from their nose to their toes. That has taken me years to learn and I still learn every single day. This is an art that you never stop perfecting, and that’s exactly what is so exciting about it.

Boudoir workshops are not abundant. There have been a few large groups and workshops here and there, but they almost always require travel and are almost never local. I often miss them due to my work schedule since I still have a day job. That’s pretty much the only obstacle I have really encountered. I feel like I may be at a point where I would actually like to host a few workshops though to help other local boudoir photographers in our area who would like some local options. I have worked really hard on my studios and feel ready to share them and teach some classes at this point.

Kasey, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I have loved the art of boudoir photography before I knew what it was. I suffer from body dysmorphia and I used to take self portraits during my lowest lows in my early to mid 20’s, to help me realize that I was beautiful. It helped me regain confidence I had lost. It felt like a form of therapy, through photography, that never left my soul. I fell into the genre on Facebook suddenly, about 5 years ago. My passion for boudoir photography was re-ignited.
Boudoir photography is a highly personalized experience. It can range from someone doing this for their partner as a wedding gift, celebrating a major milestone in their life (like being a new mom and embracing their post-baby body), to being a therapeutic experience for someone who is learning to love their body and the skin they are in, just to name a few. I work very hard to custom tailor my clients’ experiences. From the first time we speak on the phone, I am there to help with every step of the process from prep, to making sure they have their fave snacks, drinks, and music day of. We provide a luxury experience with professional hair and make up, leaving clients feel ing fully pampered the day of their shoot..

I take my time to get to know my clients and offer a special financial perk if we book over the phone. It’s so important that the right photographer client-match is made. I place a lot of emphasis on a phone or virtual consult so we can get to know each other and clients feel more comfortable with the investment. Boudoir is an intimate experience and clients should be 110% comfortable with the photographer hired. Infinite Boudoir Studio makes boudoir accessible to a wider range of client budgets by offering in house payment plans. We have a la carte options, as well as packages. Clients can get a simple digital package, or go big with digitals and a luxury album that we design together down to the smallest detail, plus some wall art.

The studio details are what I am most proud of. I have poured hours upon hours of my time and heavily invested in my studio design to create a space very specific to my style. Every client asks if they can just move in, which definitely gives me the feel goods and makes it all worth it. I feel like I partially missed my calling for bohemian interior design, lol. Don’t get me wrong, I could make magic with a client in an empty room and only a chair, however I tend to shoot with an editorial style. The space is a huge factor in the composition of my work. I gravitate towards more moody, naturally lit boudoir images. So if you love a good bohemian styled space, and are looking for a moody photographic boudoir vibe, then we are your studio!

Is there a mission driving your creative journey?

Absolutely! Helping my clients feel more empowered in their bodies is the main focus and mission of the work I do. My experience with learning to love every shape my body comes in, through self-portrait boudoir photography, has made such a positive impact on my life. I want every client that comes into the studio to walk out feeling empowered and with new self-love tools. Every single person deserves to see themselves through the eyes of their loved ones, with fewer critiques and more appreciation. I tend to do less editing, depending on each client’s level of comfort. Some clients wear their stretch marks with pride and we decide to leave those in, as an example. I make sure to figure out exactly who each clients wants to be during their shoot and the photos are a reminder that they can embody that version any time. My heart sings with joy when I get to work at my studio during the week, sit in the beautiful space I have created and make magic with clients. After having experienced the pandemic, I realized the typical 9-5 office life is not for me. Having the opportunity to work from home and invest more time in the studio made me feel more empowered and motivated to turn the studio into my full-time job. There isn’t a doubt in mind that this is meant to be my journey and I am working hard to practice what I preach and empower myself through the studio.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

STAY CONSISTENT. Honestly, I still suck at this sometimes. Batch record your reels. Try to share a photo every single day. Make your reels relevant to your industry, give tips, and address pain points. Make reels that allow your potential clients to connect with you and see your humanity. I’m still grinding away at this every day. It takes time and patience. It’s a slow crawl, but at least I know that those who follow me, actually care about seeing my work and my interaction will be high. Try not to place too much emphasis on your number of followers, that just gets depressing and can eat you alive.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.infiniteboudoir.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/infinite_boudoir
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/infinite-boudoir-studio-stafford?osq=infinite+boudoir+studio

Image Credits
Infinite Boudoir Studio for all photos except the below- There is only one photo that a fellow photographer took (the shot of me shooting on the couch, and it has her image credit on it, in the bottom right corner. (Untamed Boudoir – Sarah Perez)